Press Shia Agency – A senior Iranian cleric called for the maximum turnout in the upcoming presidential election, saying the voters will definitely stymie plans by the adversaries.

Press Shia Agency – Addressing worshippers in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said the people’s participation in the May 19 election will certainly stun the enemies.

The enemies have masterminded the highest degree of targeted propaganda campaigns in their media outlets for this year’s presidential election, the cleric warned, saying they seek to engineer the election of their favourable pick in Iran.

The enemies will get a firm response to their nosiness from the Iranian voters, Ayatollah Khatami added.

He further called on the candidates to avoid divisive discussions in their debates and refrain from making unfair judgements.

Both candidates and their supporters should avoid defamation and cite “correct and verifiable statistics” in the debates, the cleric underlined.

The first nationally televised debate in the race for the Iranian presidency was held on Friday evening in a three-hour-long exchange on socio-cultural issues.

There are officially six candidates in the race for the highest executive post in Iran, including the incumbent president himself.

The candidates have been singled out by the Guardian Council from among more than 1,600 applicants seeking presidency.

Three of the candidates categorized as “reformists” include President Hassan Rouhani, First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, and Mostafa Hashemi-Taba.

The other three, known for belonging to the “principalist” political faction, include Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi, the chief custodian of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, and Mostafa Agha-Mirsalim.